16 year old Ethan Chu , South Bend, Ind., was awarded a $1,000 scholarship check during a visit to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation’s headquarters in Stratford, Conn. Ethan and his father, William Chu, toured the Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopter assembly lines. They were also able to meet with company  designers and engineers.

From the press release:

As an 11th grader, Ethan likes to play football and paintball. He is a member of the Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society. When he is older, Ethan aspires to be an aerospace engineer, and would like to learn to fly aircraft.

“This competition gave me the opportunity to learn new knowledge and gain new skills,” said Ethan. “I was fascinated with the ‘Coanda Effect’ that I read about, and I decided to use it to make my helicopter design more efficient.”

Museums throughout the country participated in the Sikorsky Helicopter 2050 Challenge program, which engaged young visitors to envision the environmental future of helicopters while learning important scientific and engineering principles through fun hands-on activities.

The Coanda Effect doesn’t pique many peoples’ interest, but it grabbed Ethan’s. I suspect his job prospects look good for his future endeavors.

The future of laws and regulations in Indiana

In Homeschool regulations ahead? Karen Francisco in The Journal Gazette writes:

Indiana State Superintendent Tony Bennett released new non-waiver graduation rates today with a news release that suggests Indiana high schools might be “counseling students out” of public schools and into homeschool. Last week, I blogged about a New York Times article on private schools “counseling out” struggling students and I cited some examples of northeast Indiana parochial school students who transferred to public schools at the parochial schools’ request.

The Department of Education news release raises suspicions about the legitimacy of transfers from Indiana public high schools to a homeschool: “While we believe the vast majority of Indiana’s schools are doing the right thing, we fear some schools may be issuing waivers for students that aren’t quite ready to graduate and even counseling students out of traditional public schools and into ‘homeschool’ where the students then become untraceable,” Bennett said. “We are doing these students no favors and must reexamine this process. Homeschool is an excellent choice for some students, and such a decision should be made with each individual student’s needs in mind. However, if a student is reported as having transferred to a home school program, that student should, in fact, be participating in a legitimate program.”

And therein lies the problem – what’s a “legitimate” home school program? For better or worse, Indiana is among the states with no regulation of homeschool instruction.

Continue reading at the link above.

Two 8th grade homeschoolers from North Manchester, Indiana competed in the Wabash County Special Olympics on Saturday, May 8 and came away with gold and silver medals and a fourth place ribbon.

Isaiah Akins, homeschooler of North Manchester, brought home a fourth place ribbon in the shot put, a silver in the 100, silver in the 400 relay and a gold in the 200 meter. His twin brother, Isaac, won gold in shot put, gold in the 400, gold in the 100 meter and silver in the 400 relay.

Check out the delightful photos and video and continue reading Local homeschoolers compete in Special Olympics, bring home gold with aid of college student coaches, by Karla Akins, in the Fort Wayne Homeschooling Examiner.

Debbie Harbeson article, It’s time to get deeper with graduation numbers, addresses push-outs:

Clarksville also decided to pull out the percentage of students who transferred to homeschooling because they worry that some families might be using the ability to transfer to the home education as a way to drop out.

However, the real potential for abuse here is that a school will create what’s known as a “push-out,” a student whose family is “strongly encouraged” to homeschool because it’s an easy way for the school system to raise its graduation percentage.

It’s important to remember here that the problem isn’t homeschooling; the problem is how the government schools should count the kids they are failing to graduate.

Nice job Debbie!

If you build it, they will come.

Indiana’s Post-Tribune: Home-schooled children enjoy games, food, fun
By Donna Rettew, Post-Tribune correspondent

VALPARAISO — Jennifer Vanderstar of Valparaiso has fond memories of field-day competitions during her elementary school years.
The positive experience prompted her to stage a similar event this year for children, including her own, who don’t attend a traditional school. She and her husband, Matt, home-school their six children.
The first Porter County Home-school Field Day was conducted recently at Westside Park in Valparaiso. Vanderstar called it an old-fashioned day of mildly competitive games, food and fun.

Homeschoolers know if the community lacks some educational or social event, they can find all sorts of creative ways to make it happen.

It appears the first Porter County Home-school Field Day was a success.

“It was our first experience with field day, but it hopefully won’t be our last,” Vanderstar said. “We had so much fun and received such rave reviews about everything from many of the participants. The weather was perfect, the kids enjoyed themselves immensely and the food was a huge success.
“My favorite comment was made by a boy of about 9 or 10 years old who just came out of the public school setting. He said, ‘Home-school Field Day rocks!’ I think that says it all.”

A new pilot charter school has been approved in Indiana. “The home-school effect” came up in the Journal Gazette, just as it often does in much of this educational trend’s media coverage, potential vendors’ marketing points, along with many legislators’ concerns.

Charter schools set for online trial run The Journal Gazette

by Niki Kelly Published: July 19, 2009
Legislators included a significant restriction on the student population that could save money.

It says at least 75 percent of the students enrolled in the pilot had to be counted in the public-school enrollment the prior year. This means the state is already funding those students in some school district and the money will simply shift to the new charter school.

But if children who are currently home-schooled enter the program, they will cost the state additional money because those students aren’t covered by state funding now.

One legitimate defense is that homeschoolers do save the state money with our education/funding accountability. That might not be significant to those who want the control, but fiscal conservatives like the notion.

Former elementary school principal and current Sen. Connie Sipes finds the charter school curriculum satisfactory for homeschoolers.

It will be a good curriculum for home-schoolers,” said Sen. Connie Sipes, D-New Albany. “We aren’t paying for them now, so it will cost us more money.

It might be a good curriculum for some homeschoolers, but certainly not all. We can be flexible in fitting the learning around our kids and their particular best education practice styles.

Lynette Quinn presides over the Indiana Families for Public Virtual Schools, and independent homeschoolers can appreciate the “Public” noted in the name. There leaves no doubt who is accountable for the education, financing and accountability.

Lynette Quinn, president of Indiana Families for Public Virtual Schools, discounts the home-school effect, saying many of those families want a Christian-oriented education with flexibility in curriculum that a public school – even a virtual charter school – can’t provide.

She also noted those students would then have to take the state ISTEP+ test.

But it appears that Senator Sipes has a more significant concern (to her); school socialization.

“Call me old-fashioned, but I just think it’s important for kids to be around other kids,” she said. “Learning to interact with one another, to tolerate differences, is part of going to school. I want kids and people in general to learn how to get along with each other.”

History lessons would surely show that socializing was fairly successful in the years before modern public education was conceived. Learning to interact with others, tolerate differences and learn how to get along with each other could be a more likely possibility when you’re not in a classroom surrounded by classmates of the same age and within the bounds of the community.

That is a “home-school effect” that has more possibilities in promoting free-range living and learning.

The purpose of this article certainly doesn’t seem to be the hearty, “Well done!  Keep up the good work!” that the title suggests, but rather a jerking-on-the-suit-sleeve hint to the Indiana legislature to clamp down on homeschoolers before the situation worsens.  

Home-schoolers are producing educated students, 15 August 2008, News Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana

There are very few rules here, and the ones we have aren’t exactly monitored closely. Home-schooling parents are supposed to give their children the “equivalent” of a public education, but “equivalence” isn’t defined. There are no program or curriculum requirements, and students aren’t required to take any standardized tests. Attendance is supposed to be taken to ensure 180 days of education a year, but that’s only for parents who bother to register with the state. Not all do.

…

By any measure available, most of the thousands of home-schooled children in Indiana are being taught very well. And why not? They have the one thing most school systems can only dream of having: dedicated parents with a passionate interest in their children’s education.

So, would the state’s 30% failure rate be an acceptable level of success? 

It’s a good thing that homeschooling parents are motivated to do well for the sakes of their children because merely producing those “educated students” doesn’t satisfy some people.

In any case, the writers-of-rules don’t say, “we want your children under our control.”  The writers-of-rules say, …

If California has been among the states that have tried the hardest to regulate home schooling, it’s fair to say Indiana has been among the most lax.

Schooling Key Topic At Forum, 19 April 2008, News Dispatch, Michigan City, Indiana

A number of candidates participated in a League of Women Voters of La Porte County forum at Crichfield Elementary School. The purpose was to allow voters a chance to hear from the candidates in advance of the May 6 primary.

…

“I think our kindergarteners need to be in school full time,” she said. “Children have the most formative years when they are young.”

Arnold agreed.

“Full-day kindergarten has been discussed over and over again,” she said. “I fully support it.”

But what Arnold doesn’t support is home-schooling.

“Every time we take our students out, we are taking money away from public education,” he said.

Birkholz has similar beliefs.

“I’m not opposed to home-schooling, but I think all kids should be in the public school system,” she said. “When we pull kids out of the public schools, it hurts the schools.”

The school system is in place to support the children, not the other way around.

It looks as if Indiana Senate District 8 homeschooling parents will have to make their decision based on something other than homeschool support by the candidates.

Despite positive news articles about homeschooled kids, some people feel this is not enough. They want standardized accountability, as attached to the spending of public funds in public schools, applied to children in all families.

Standards needed for home schools, 12 September 2007, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Nowhere did I read in the Department of Education’s letter to me that “Indiana law also states that the child has to have an equivalent education to the public school system” as the Devenses wrote.

The most frightening statement in the Devenses’ letter is their belief that it is not “the government’s job to say what your child learns.” Every society has always determined what elements of its culture to pass on to its children, or that culture would disintegrate. The government is simply the representative of the people.

…

There is simply no accountability placed on home schooling.

Indiana Office of Student Services for private schoosl, and specifics for homeschooling:

• The compulsory school attendance law requires all children to attend a school taught in the English language …
• Parents who choose to home educate are required to report their home school’s enrollment to the Indiana Department of Education upon request of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction …
• You decide which days your school will be in session, and how long to teach each day. In the case of mid-year transfers, days attended at the first school count toward the 180 day total at the home school.
• Please note that the law allows local public school superintendents to request copies of your child’s attendance records to verify attendance.
• If there is ever a question of educational neglect, keeping good attendance records and other documentation regarding attendance and continuing educational activity is highly instrumental in addressing these concerns.
• Students who are issued a diploma by the administrator (parent or legal guardian) of an Indiana home school possess a legally issued, non-accredited diploma according to the State of Indiana.
• Indiana law requires home schools to give instruction equivalent to public schools but does not bind any requirements set forth with regard to curriculum or the content of educational programs offered by the school.

[emphasis added, just to keep things clear]

posted by Valerie

I only ask because a link showed up from Google’s alert service, and my understanding is that state registration of homeschooled children is not part of Indiana law.

Office of Student Services, Indiana Department of Education

Home School Enrollment Report Form

posted by Valerie